With Global Demand Surging, Amagi Brings its Cloud-Based Playout Platform to TV and OTT Broadcasters in the US

Using Amagi’s CLOUDPORT technology, which is already deployed in more than 40 countries, networks can launch and operate channels more efficiently and cut costs

Amagi, a global leader in cloud-based technology for TV and OTT broadcasters, today announced its official launch in the US. The launch makes CLOUDPORT, the company’s cloud-based channel playout platform immediately available to all US linear TV and digital OTT broadcasters. Amagi’s international customers include Vice Media and Turner Broadcasting.

As TV networks expand across geographies and platforms to reach new audiences, they are challenged with escalating costs and overall resource management. TV content delivery has historically used satellite. While satellites can provide a large geographic reach, their use remains expensive and capital intensive. Satellite/fiber-based delivery models and the continued use of physical data centers can adversely impact broadcast operations due to high upfront costs and longer setup time. These models also struggle to address the evolving needs of localizing channel content, owing to business requirements, regulatory standards or viewer preferences.

Enter Amagi. Amagi’s CLOUDPORT playout platform makes it possible to air linear TV channels worldwide without the expense of satellite or fiber-based delivery. Broadcasters can use CLOUDPORT to easily spin off new channels and deliver them to any location, using the cloud. A cloud-based broadcast infrastructure delivers tremendous benefits in terms of worldwide manageability and cost savings. Rather than rely on satellite or locally-operated hardware, Amagi’s CLOUDPORT platform can setup multiple feeds, monitor them, and localize content to maximize broadcaster’s investments and resources. All playout can be controlled and monitored remotely through a single dashboard in CLOUDPORT. In addition to linear TV, CLOUDPORT also enables networks and content owners to deliver content directly to consumers via OTT services. TV networks and content owners use CLOUDPORT to create digital, on-demand channels, then deliver and manage them.

“Broadcasting is an ever-expanding, global business,” said K.A. Srinivasan, Co-Founder of Amagi. “As a result, it has become an increasingly complex and expensive operation. Today, CAPEX and OPEX costs associated with traditional satellite playout is unsustainable. This model also prices out mid-sized broadcasters and content owners who want to launch their own channels. To navigate the environment, broadcasters and content owners need to leverage cloud technology to stay competitive. The cloud enables global scale of operations, brings tremendous cost savings and enables the worldwide distribution of content. Our CLOUDPORT platform has seen impressive growth internationally, with deployments in over 40 countries, so we are excited to bring this technology to US broadcasters and content owners.”

Amagi’s CLOUDPORT also marries the cloud with artificial intelligence to automate playout for broadcasters. The manual nature of traditional playout platforms and services has led to increased complexity in the entire workflow. While using the traditional system, important yet recurrent tasks need to be performed manually, leading to a resource crunch. For example, detecting black frames in playout, or managing schedules are manual tasks that require continuous manual monitoring. Using the traditional model, a specialist needs to be engaged full-time to perform these tasks. Amagi solves for this with AI, automating key parts of the playout workflow, including scheduling, quality control, and monitoring leading to broadcast efficiencies and cost savings.

“We view Amagi as a trusted partner as we expand VICELAND into multiple territories and become an entertainment destination of choice,” said Tim Bertioli, Vice President, International Operations of VICELAND, an international television network owned and programmed by Vice Media, on its deployments with Amagi.

CLOUDPORT is now available to all US linear TV and digital OTT broadcasters as either a standalone, self-serve platform, or as part of SKYLIGHT, Amagi’s all-in-one cloud-managed broadcast services solution. In addition to CLOUDPORT, Amagi provides monetization services for TV and OTT broadcasters. Its THUNDERSTORM and STORM monetization platforms are also now available in the US. THUNDERSTORM can automatically identify ads and replace them with dynamically inserted personalized ads for OTT content. Alternatively, STORM enables linear TV networks to detect ads and content, and replace them with local ads and content. These services are available as standalone, or through Amagi SKYLIGHT. With Amagi’s suite of solutions, TV networks can launch, operate and monetize channels anywhere in the world.

For more information about Amagi and its cloud-based broadcast solutions, visit www.amagi.com.

About Amagi (www.amagi.com)

Amagi is the world’s first cloud-managed broadcast services and targeted advertising solutions company. Amagi brings simplicity, advanced automation, and transparency to the entire broadcast operation, be it for traditional TV or next-gen multiscreen platforms. Amagi has deployments in over 40 countries, enabling TV networks to launch, operate, and monetize channels anywhere in the world. Amagi also provides targeted advertising solutions to 2,500+ brands, shaping the future of TV advertising. Amagi Corporation is based in New York, with offices in London, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Mumbai, and the R&D center in Bangalore.